mistaken identity

I have an office on a long hallway - almost all of the offices are
filled with male faculty. However, I am the one that students come
to with questions "When is the computer lab going to be open?" "Can
I borrow a pen?".
The best story is from my friend and female colleague who is a forest
ecologist down the hall. She was talking to her graduate student
(male) and as she walked away another student said to the grad
student "Is that your girlfriend?". She was upset by this. She is
also mistaken for the departmental secretary.
I have decided to laugh about these things. On the other hand, if we
are recognized for the role we are actually in (faculty member and
scientist), we can set a better model for the women students.
What can we do? Should we do anything?
Carol Auer
Dept. of Plant Science
Univ. of Connecticut